Luxurious Italian Pajamas, Inspired by Literature

Sitting on a long velvet sofa and looking out over Lake Como, Francesca Ruffini calls this her “place of serenity.” Her villa, perched on a steep mountainside that plunges into the lake’s eastern edge, is an oasis in the grand Como style: tiled with large slabs of black-and-white marble, neatly lined with paintings, statues and books. A row of indoor palms behind arched glass doors opens to a topiary garden with sweeping views of the water and snow-capped mountains.

It was just a few days before the presentation of her fall collection for her line of luxurious silk pajamas, F.R.S. — short for “For Restless Sleepers” — at Milan Fashion Week. But Ruffini was enjoying her favorite place in her own comfortable style, which is to say, in her pajamas. She wore a tailored, pale blue top of her own design with wide-cut wool culottes, long gold chains and a wrist full of vintage gold bracelets. “I have a great intolerance for keeping my clothes on,” she said quite seriously, before bursting into laughter. “Honestly, ever since I was a child, the first thing I did upon arriving home was to take off everything and put on my pajamas. Who cares if it was only one o’clock in the afternoon?”

Still, the thought of being inelegant distressed her (she shudders at the notion of leggings). So, inspired by the protagonists in some of her favorite 20th-century novels — she mentions Proust, and the men of Thomas Mann’s “Buddenbrooks” — she commissioned men’s pajamas in colorful silks, but cut for female proportions. “Men’s styles have a rigorous and functional quality that women’s items lack,” she says. “Women’s classic nightwear was about seduction, and truly meant for the bedroom. It’s very private, where men’s items — the smoking jacket for example — were made for relaxing in company, and in style, of course,” said Ruffini. When she wore the custom pajamas beyond the confines of her home, together or as separates, friends took notice. And placed orders.

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Two looks from Ruffini’s fall/winter 2016 collection, which showed today in Milan.CreditCourtesy of For Restless Sleepers

Now, as F.R.S enters its third season, the brand has established a loyal following for its chic, comfortable silhouettes in distinctive silk patterns, which Ruffini develops herself with local producers. She says her library is the starting point for all of her collections. In the above slideshow, she guides T through the books that inspired her new patterns, including an earth-toned geometric print recalling a Navajo carpet and insect illustrations drawn from jewelry designs.